I liked the slight consolidation of genres from the previous entry in the series, that one tried to do too many things and did most of them quite poorly just to showcase the Dreamcast's then awe-inducing processing power and many of the system's features (like the Chao characters introduced in order to support the Visual Memory Unit by slapping a Tamagotchi knock-off into a 3D platformer). Robotnik makes an appearance too, but the real villain in this adventure may be its newest character a dark, mysterious hedgehog whose speed and abilities might even rival those of Sonic himself. Knuckles shows up to offer his spunky brand of action and attitude. The hurried hedgehog is joined by some of his old friends in Sonic Adventure 2.
He gains bonus points for performing particularly impressive tricks and these can be used to unlock special secrets. Sonic gets advice from little robot chaos found in different places around the levels. There are still important opportunities for character development and interaction, however. While the first Sonic Adventure encouraged lots of role-playing and exploration, this sequel features a stronger focus on the high-speed action that is a cornerstone of the Sonic games.
Sonic's back to collect more rings and rescue captured critters, all in full 3D and faster than ever.
He zips down a steep hill at blinding speed, knocking opposing traffic left and right, with an enormous, free-wheeling semi truck right on his tail the whole way. He grinds down a long rail with pro-skater skill.